PEN America’s Commitment to Health and Safety at the 2021 PEN America Literary Gala
Updated Sept. 21, 2021 To protect all in attendance, PEN America will enforce a robust set of health and safety measures for the 2021 PEN America Literary Gala in New… More
The PEN Ten: An Interview with Cleyvis Natera
These days, I write from a place of celebration and freedom I never imagined would be available to me until much later in my writing career. More
The PEN Ten: An Interview with Tuhin Das
People assume that things get lost in translation, but translations give me literary freedom. Translations prove that words are not bound by any border or ideology or tyrant. More
Annual Prison Writing Contest – Guidelines
PEN America sponsors an annual writing contest for prisoners. Anyone incarcerated in a federal, state, or county prison in the year before the September 1 deadline is eligible to… More
An Interview with 2022 DREAMing Out Loud Contributors, Aria Gallo and Luz Aguirre
We spoke with 2022 DREAMing Out Loud cohorts Aria Gallo and Luz Guirre about their submissions to the PEN America DREAMing Out Loud anthology. More
Introducing I am climbing the stairs that I create with these words all the way to the top: A NaPoWriMo Zine
PEN America's Sophia Ramirez introduces our newest Prison Writing poetry zine, "I am climbing the stairs that I create with these words all the way to the top," for… More
The PEN Ten: An Interview with Chinelo Okparanta
It’s a wonderful thing to learn the rules, and to learn them well. Only by learning them can you learn the clever ways to break them. More
“Do you really want to know why the caged bird sings?”: On Marlon Peterson’s Abolitionist Memoir
Emma Stamen reviews Marlon Peterson’s Abolitionist Memoir Bird Uncaged (Bold Type Books, 2021) More
PEN America’s Prison and Justice Writing Mentorship Program
PEN America's Prison and Justice Writing Mentorship Program has paired incarcerated writers with skilled writing mentors in prisons all over the U.S. for nearly 50 years. More
The PEN Ten: An Interview with K-Ming Chang
I'm interested in the language serving itself, and reveling in the language and sound as their own form of meaning and beauty. More
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PEN America On 
Don't miss the Freedom to Learn series, edited by @madebyhistory @washingtonpost & sponsored by PEN America: "high-quality, well-researched historical analysis on threats to education," says @jeremycyoung. Series begins 8/15; details/submission info below. https://pen.org/press-release/amid-efforts-to-undermine-academic-freedom-and-public-education-pen-america-announces-new-oped-series-with-washington-posts-made-by-history-on-protecting-the-freedom-to-learn/
“When we keep books like #Speak away from our children, we are withholding wisdom from our kids.” @halseanderson 📚 🙌 #VelshiBannedBookClub #Velshi http://ow.ly/ak0J50KenAK
A Florida school district placed a warning label on three of my books that insist racism is wrong. It is not hard to figure out what this school district thinks is right. https://twitter.com/penamerica/status/1555662277806034944
